A picture is worth a thousand words, so it’s a good thing that the one word speaking Domo is getting such a vivid and fun to read manga. Domo the Manga from Tokyopop takes the mascot of Japan’s NHK TV and with the blessing of creator Tsuneo Goda, crafts a manga of six stories that young and old alike will enjoy. The stories are short, light on text and printed on high-quality, slick paper. The format is larger, between a manga and comic, but the real charm is the story. While not much is known about Domo here in the states you will recognize him from specialty shops, even Target. Let’s see what adventures Tokyopop has lined up for readers.
Don’t Try This at Home – Art by Rem. Cartoony and bright, this first story pops to life in a style nailed by Rem, a style that reflects what Domo is all about. See it to believe it. The story, careful what you see on TV. Domo watches, imitates and destroys much in Mr. Usaji’s house.
Hero For a Day – Art by Rem with the same style as before. After watching some super hero’s on TV Domo decides to become a hero and runs around helping others. He does more damage than good and is confronted with being not a super hero but rather a super villain. Oh the horror.
Soapbox Road Warrior – Art by Lindsay Cibos and Jared Hodges. A style with less vivid tones, more shading, a more serious Domo is that term can really be used. This time the story is about a crazy soap box race and the pains Domo will take on to win.
The Ultimate Beetle – Art by Lindsay Cibos and Jared Hodges with the same style as before. The story now is about fighting beetles. Domo observes his friends putting their beetles 1:1 then decides to train his own, only to have a very odd ending. A Rocky story this is not.
Life is Just a Game – Art by Sonia Leong. The most basic looking, simplistic art in the book, it’s bright, vivid and the most original of the bunch. Domo plays Tashanna’s Wii only to break the screen then turns life into a giant Wii game. No gamer is spared as Domo recruits his players.
Living In The Now – Back to Rem for more art and a short story about how not ready the cast of Domo is for their own cell phones. Everyone gets in trouble, a good ending to a good book.
Finally there is some fan art, but it’s the stories that are so much fun. This is the only volume for now but this character, not just Domo but the rest could really use more stories. From Mr. Usaji (rabbit), Tashanna (weasel), Maya and Mario (bats), Fox Boy, Bear Boy, Hungry Bear, Esther (fox) and Brother Fox everyone seems to get along really well, feels like a kinda twisted Winnie the Pooh. A great book with great art in a very readable format perfect for kids, but no lost on adults. Pick it up, thumb through and spend a few bucks, support the industry that brings unique titles like this to the states.
Don’t Try This at Home – Art by Rem. Cartoony and bright, this first story pops to life in a style nailed by Rem, a style that reflects what Domo is all about. See it to believe it. The story, careful what you see on TV. Domo watches, imitates and destroys much in Mr. Usaji’s house.
Hero For a Day – Art by Rem with the same style as before. After watching some super hero’s on TV Domo decides to become a hero and runs around helping others. He does more damage than good and is confronted with being not a super hero but rather a super villain. Oh the horror.
Soapbox Road Warrior – Art by Lindsay Cibos and Jared Hodges. A style with less vivid tones, more shading, a more serious Domo is that term can really be used. This time the story is about a crazy soap box race and the pains Domo will take on to win.
The Ultimate Beetle – Art by Lindsay Cibos and Jared Hodges with the same style as before. The story now is about fighting beetles. Domo observes his friends putting their beetles 1:1 then decides to train his own, only to have a very odd ending. A Rocky story this is not.
Life is Just a Game – Art by Sonia Leong. The most basic looking, simplistic art in the book, it’s bright, vivid and the most original of the bunch. Domo plays Tashanna’s Wii only to break the screen then turns life into a giant Wii game. No gamer is spared as Domo recruits his players.
Living In The Now – Back to Rem for more art and a short story about how not ready the cast of Domo is for their own cell phones. Everyone gets in trouble, a good ending to a good book.
Finally there is some fan art, but it’s the stories that are so much fun. This is the only volume for now but this character, not just Domo but the rest could really use more stories. From Mr. Usaji (rabbit), Tashanna (weasel), Maya and Mario (bats), Fox Boy, Bear Boy, Hungry Bear, Esther (fox) and Brother Fox everyone seems to get along really well, feels like a kinda twisted Winnie the Pooh. A great book with great art in a very readable format perfect for kids, but no lost on adults. Pick it up, thumb through and spend a few bucks, support the industry that brings unique titles like this to the states.
